Romans 12:1-2 A Lot Packed Into Just Two Verses

These two verses say a lot:

"Since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him.  Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to Him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship.  Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking.  Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect."

My commentary says this contains "the therefore of dedication, and it is this dedication that is the basis for the other relationships that Paul discussed in this section ... Christian dedication involves three steps:"

"1)  You give God your body -- Isaac became a living sacrifice after willingly putting himself on the altar ... he died to self and willingly yielded himself to the will of God ... Jesus Christ is the perfect illustration of a living sacrifice, because He actually died and rose again ... Every day is a worship experience when your body is yielded to the Lord."

"2)  You give Him your mind -- The world wants to control your mind, but God wants to transform your mind ... The world wants to change your mind, so it exerts pressure from without.  But the Holy Spirit changes your mind by releasing power from within."

"3)  You give Him your will -- Your mind controls your body, and your will controls your mind.  Many people think they can control their will by willpower, but usually they fail.  It is only when we yield to the will of God that His power can take over and give us the willpower (and the won't power!) that we need to be victorious Christians.  We surrender our wills to God through disciplined prayer, praying 'Not my will, but thy will be done.'"

Father God, I need Your willpower (and Your won't power).  Please continue to help me to discipline my mind.  Change me from within.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford